Biologically active compounds are well known (e.g., aspirin and capsaicin) and have been beneficially administered to patients in need thereof for more than a century. One problem that has been associated with many biologically active compounds is that they can be difficult to dissolve in water or the human body and can also be very difficult to polymerize. Due to the availability and numerous uses of biologically active compounds, it is desirable to enhance their native value by, for example, providing compounds or combinations of compounds with a specific controlled degradation profile or range enabling controlled release of the biologically active compound over an extended, controllable time range. The present invention is directed to these and other important ends.